Goldfinger

Our first bespoke project of 2025 is here - a new collaboration with our longtime friends at GAIL's on their just-opened Southwark bakery. Their most sustainable bakery yet, every detail of the interior - once the headquarters of the London Fire Brigade - was carefully considered through three key principles: 1. Waste not ?? - A design rooted in sustainability, this project makes use of elegantly repurposed materials, with bespoke furniture designed with re-use in mind. 2. Craft with a Conscience ?? - GAIL's teamed up with social enterprises and eco-conscious designers (like us!) to ensure their bakery is a model of environmental responsibility. 3. Healthy Spaces ?? - The bakery is a welcoming, uplifting space for everyone - customers and team-members alike - featuring ample natural light, as well as energy-efficient daylight sensors. Embodying these principles, we crafted the cafe's central communal table entirely from a single plank of rare Black Poplar that once grew on the nearby Old Kent Road, sourced by Fallen & Felled. The GPS coordinates (our signature Goldfinger touch) stamped onto the tabletop mark the exact spot where that tree once stood, connecting customers to the timber's provenance and unique history. The striking surface showcases the natural burls, knots and shimmers - a testament to the individuality found in nature. The table's natural waney edge further celebrates the tree's raw, one-of-a-kind beauty. Designed as a legacy piece for GAIL’s, this table is truly built to last - a durable future heirloom, whose story will be told for years to come. Thanks so much to Brett Parker, Michelle Pollard-Smith and everyone at GAIL’s for creating such a beautiful bakery to tell that story. From bakeries to hotels, homes, workplaces, and beyond; we design and craft furniture to your unique needs, for the good of people and planet. Book your free design consultation: https://lnkd.in/en5_fYmp Photos by Kat Antos-Lewis Photography #bespoke #furniture #gails #bakery #southwark

FUTURE MAKERS | Mitalee As we look back on 2024, we’re spotlighting just some of the stories from our wonderful community of Future Makers from the past year. Originally hailing from Mumbai, Mitalee came to Goldfinger as a graduate of Central Saint Martins struggling to break into the job market. She took part in our May Future Makers traineeship, spending a week with us learning hands-on design skills and crafting a hand-woven stool under the guidance of furniture makers Daniele Barco and Chiara Raponi. Following this, we were so pleased to invite Mitalee back to join us as a paid Workshop Assistant, supporting the coordination of our July and August traineeships for the next group of Future Makers trainees, effortlessly showing them the ropes despite having been a trainee herself only months prior. This autumn, we invited Mitalee back once again to join us as a part-time Production Assistant, working closely alongside our Head of Design to support live projects, design commissions, and showroom coordination. Mitalee has been a joy to work with from the very beginning, and we are so pleased to now have her join us as a true member of the Goldfinger team! Future Makers is a free outreach programme that provides training, career guidance, mentoring as well as paid and unpaid work experience to 16-29 year old learners from low-income backgrounds and chronically under-employed people who gain greater self-confidence, insights, skills and access to broader career opportunities. We’re so delighted that we were able to help Mitalee take those first steps in her career in design. Donate to our award-winning Academy, and find out more about how you can support our programmes: https://lnkd.in/duYTBrks

2024 has been a monumental year for our Goldfinger Academy, as we undertook more traineeships than ever before. Swipe to see a snapshot of our impact, and to see just some of the highlights from our 2024 Future Makers programmes. This free outreach programme provides training, career guidance, mentoring as well as paid and unpaid work experience to 16-29 year old learners from low-income backgrounds and chronically under-employed people who gain greater self-confidence, insights, skills and access to broader career opportunities. From building benches inspired by our Trellick Tower home, to crafting custom stools and learning the art of traditional furniture caning, this year's traineeships were full of joyful making opportunities, and we were delighted to welcome so many new Future Makers into our community. This giving season, support the Goldfinger Academy to help us train young people in woodworking, offer career guidance and work experience, and share the joy of making with our community. Donate to our Academy ?? https://lnkd.in/duYTBrks We're so excited to share with you everything that's in store for 2025, and to begin the next chapter in Goldfinger's journey. Until then, we wish you a wonderful New Year!?

FUTURE MAKERS | Julius As we look back on 2024, we’re spotlighting just some of the stories from our wonderful community of Future Makers from the past year. At the beginning of the year, we met Julius through a referral from?Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team. A local resident eager to explore opportunities in woodworking and design, we invited Julius to visit our workshop, meet our makers and find out more about the potential career pathways that were open to him. Julius then signed up for our May Future Makers traineeship, spending a week with us learning hands-on design skills and crafting a hand-woven stool under the guidance of furniture makers Daniele Barco and Chiara Raponi. Julius proved himself to be not only passionate about design, but an incredible team player, and we were so pleased to invite him back to join us as a paid Workshop Assistant, helping to facilitate our July traineeship for the next group of Future Makers trainees. Julius then took part in our special Future Makers social event, spending an afternoon learning the art of Japanese carpentry with Emi Shinmura. We were so delighted to hear that following this, Emi then asked Julius to join her team on a live carpentry project up in Scotland, helping to build a lenticular wooden bridge, putting his skills and experience to the test in the great outdoors. We couldn’t be prouder of everything Julius has achieved, becoming a true professional in merely a matter of months (and even recently representing the Goldfinger team at the Social Enterprise UK awards, alongside our wonderful Community Outreach Programme Manager, Effy Harle) Julius’ story is a testament to everything we try to do with our Future Makers programme: breaking down barriers to entry and helping young people to take the first steps towards meaningful careers in sustainable design and making. Follow the link in our bio to donate to our award-winning Academy, and to find out more about how you can support our programmes. #design #impact #woodworking #london

FUTURE MAKERS | 2024 In 2024, we held a record number of 3 traineeships, for a total of 26 trainees, offering 689 hours of employability skills and training in #sustainable #design for young people in our community. Future Makers is a free outreach programme that provides training, career guidance, mentoring as well as paid and unpaid work experience to 16-29 year old learners from low-income backgrounds and chronically under-employed people who gain greater self-confidence, insights, skills and access to broader career opportunities. Watch our video for an insight into our August traineeship, where seven talented trainees spent three days with us learning how to design and build a bespoke stool under the tutelage of Jason Posnot. This giving season, support the Goldfinger Academy to help us continue to share sustainable craft skills, meaningful career opportunities, and the joy of making in 2025 and beyond. Follow the link in our bio to donate to our Academy ?? Video by Sion Sylvester https://lnkd.in/dDwh6q54

Last week, we were delighted to hear that we were recognised as Highly Commended in the Sustainable Luxury Brand of the Year category at the Walpole British Luxury Awards! Huge congratulations to the category winner The Glenturret, Scotland’s oldest working distillery, who've brought traditional whisky-making methods into a greener future. What a joy to be honoured alongside so many innovative brands, and by our friends at Walpole, who are committed to making British #luxury brands world leaders in #sustainability ???? Find our more about our planet-positive materials: https://lnkd.in/eskzxME7

We have loved working with our friends at GAIL's over the years, and are so pleased to see our bespoke designs at home in their beautiful new bakery in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Paying homage to the town's Tudor heritage, this new bakery effortlessly marries old and new. We were delighted to create a custom dining table and benches. The design for the table cleverly envelops one of the building's original columns - embracing its context, and turning challenges into unexpected design opportunities. Traditionally-crafted and made entirely from English oak, sourced from North Norfolk, these bespoke designs celebrate the beauty of British timbers. From bakeries to hotels, restaurants, workplaces, and beyond; we design and craft furniture to your unique needs, for the good of people and planet. ?? by Kat Antos-Lewis #bespoke #furniture #bakery #cafe

This week we’re celebrating #PeopleandPlanetFirstWeek ???? As well as ensuring that every piece of furniture we create is built to last, we have always believed that true sustainability can't be achieved without supporting the communities we live and work in. That’s why we created two in-house social outreach programmes, the Goldfinger Academy & People’s Kitchen, to elevate and enhance our local community’s wellbeing. We’ve been feeding our community since 2015 with our People’s Kitchen, a free monthly meal for vulnerable local residents cooked from surplus food and delivered by volunteers. Our Goldfinger Academy shares the joy that comes with making something with your own two hands, teaching woodworking and craft to inspire careers in making and creative spirits alike. Read our most recent impact report, and to find out more about how we’re making a lasting impact on our community: https://lnkd.in/eAb2XtWg SEWF - Social Enterprise World Forum C.I.C. B Lab UK #socialenterprise #bcorporation

We’re beyond thrilled to be one of the inaugural #FutureIconsAwards winners, chosen by Country & Town House ! Such a joy to be honoured amongst some standout brands setting the new standard for #sustainable luxury - including some of our close friends in planet-conscious interiors Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, Naturalmat and MAIE. We’re especially pleased to be recognised for our social impact by winning Best Local, Community or Charity Initiative - reflecting our belief that true sustainability can only be achieved through supporting people and elevating communities. Read our 2023 Golden Summary #impactreport ?to find out more about our community programmes and our planet-positive initiatives alike: https://lnkd.in/d6JncDWB

We’re very proud to be recognised as one of this year’s LOTI heroes, honouring 50 businesses that are doing something positive for the people of #London.? ? We’re in great company alongside so many incredible changemakers chosen by London On The Inside , and were delighted to spot some familiar friends who are doing incredible work to create positive impact in our city?- Luminary Bakery, Migrateful, Brigade Bar + Kitchen & The Dusty Knuckle to name a few!? ? As a proud #BCorp & #socialenterprise, we’re committed to having a positive impact on both our #environment and our local #community. Find out more about how we’re giving back to the city we all call home: https://lnkd.in/djQBv5tU #LOTIheroes